Electrical signaling or calling system.



.7 PATENTED MAY 12, 1903.

o. B. SMITH. ELECTRICAL SIGNALING 0R CALLING SYSTEM.

APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 13, 1899. RENEWED OUT. 22. 1902.

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NITED STATES Patented May 12, 1963.

PATENT OF ICE.

CHARLES B. SMITH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SPEGIEICAT IO N forming part of Letters PatentwNo. 727,703, dated May 12, 1903 Application filed December 13, 1899. Renewed October 22, 1902. Serial No. 128,248. (No modeli) T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES B. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York city, borough of Manhattan, State of New York,haveinvented certain newand useful Improvements in Electrical Signaling or Calling Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a signaling or calling system whereby a large number of stations may be individually signaled over a limited number ofwires.

In carrying out my invention I provide a conductor that leads from a central office to a number of stations, for each of which stations a relay is provided and connected with said condnctor,'a pair or pairs of said relays being oppositely polarized, and from central also lead a series of selector-conductors, and a signaling instrument in each of said stations is connected with a conductor of said series, two signaling instruments being connected With the same conductor, one of such signaling instruments being associated with a positively-polarized relay, while the other is associated with a negatively-polarized relay. The relays located. on the first-mentioned conductor are adapted to close circuits for said signaling instruments according as they respond to the passage of a positive or a negative current. At the central office are located circuit-controlling devices for the conductors above mentioned, and the arrangement and operation are such that when the circuit of the first-mentioned conductor is closed, so as to transmit a positive or a negative current, all the positively or negatively polarized relays connected therewith will close the circuits of the corresponding signaling instruments; but the oppositelypolarized relays Will not operate, and there upon current will be passed over the conductor that is connected with the signaling instrument desired.

To increase the signaling capacity of the system without proportionately increasing the number of conductors, I provide two or more conductors, each having a plurality of oppositely polarized relays at stations in which signaling instruments are associated with said relays in manner before described, and signaling instruments associated with a pair of positively and. negatively polarized relays are connected with the same conductor of the series of conductors.

The invention also consists in the novel details of improvement, that will be more fully hereinafter set forth and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, which is a diagrammatic view of a signaling or calling system embodying my invention.

In the accompanying drawing the letter A indicates a central oflice, at which are located appropriate devices for use in connection with myimproved system. From the central office a conductor 1 leads to a plurality of stations B, B, B, B?, B and B at each of l which a relay 2 2 is located and connected with conductor 1, the conductor 1 being shown as connected with ground at 1. There may be any suitable number of such stations and their corresponding relays connected with conductor 1, and there will be one or more pairs of such relays, one of each pair being polarized for a positive and the other for a negative current. From the central office a series or plurality of conductors 34 5 also pass to saidstations, and in each station a signaling instrument, as 6, is located and connect ed with the appropriate conductor 3, 4, or 5, the circuits of which instruments are shown normally open, but controlled 'by the corresponding relay 2 or 2 and adapted to be grounded thereby. There areas many conductors 3 4 5 as there are positively or negatively polarized relays connected with conductor l, and a signaling instrument, respectively associated with a positively and a negatively polarized relay, is' connected with a selector-conductor 3, 4, or 5. Thus the signaling instruments associated-with positive and negative magnets 2 and 2 at stations B and B are shown connected with conductor 3, the signaling instruments associated with positive and negative relays at stations B and B are shown connected with conductor 4, and the signaling instruments associated with positive and negative relays at stations B and B are shown connected with conductor 5, and so on throughout a series of relays on conductor 1 to any convenient number.

The arrangement and operation are such that it a positive current is passed over conductor 1 all the positively-polarized relays connected therewith will close the circuits of the associated signaling instruments, and thereupon when current is thrown on the selector-conductor that is connected with the signaling instrument desired the latter only will be operated, and if a negative current is passed over conductor 1 the circuits of the signaling instruments associated with the negatively-polarized relays will all be closed, so that current sent over the conductor connected with the signaling instrument desired may operate the latter. It will thus be understood that notwithstanding that two or more signaling instruments are connected with a conductor 3, 4, or 5 only that signaling instrument will be operated by current on its conductor whose associate relay on conductor 1 was operated by a positive or negative current. I find it convenient to term the conductors 3 4 5 a series of selector-conductors. Suitable means are provided at central for sending the desired positive or negative current over conductor 1 and for closing the circuits of the selector-conductors 3 4c 5 to produce a signal at the instrument desired. I have shown at the central office a circuitcloser I) I) b b b If, connected with conductor 1 and each corresponding to the respective station B B B B B B", and thus in the arrangement shown the circuit-closers b b b are adapted to send a positive current over conductor 1 and the circuit-closers b b b are adapted to send a negative current over conductor 1. The circuit-closers which correspond to the signaling instruments connected to one selector-conductor are adapted to send current over said conductor, and so on throughout the series of selector-conductors. The arrangement I have shown for causing the proper currents to be transmitted by the cir-' cuit-closers b b b b b b is as follows: The conductor 1 at central is connected with contacts 7 of the circuit-closers Z) I) b b b b respectively, which are adapted to be engaged by contacts 8, the contacts 8 of circuit-closers b b b being connected with a conductor, as 9, leading from one pole of a battery 10, as the positive pole, and the contacts 8 of circuit-closers F, b, and Z2 are connected with a conductor 11, that is connected with the opposite pole of said battery. A contact 12 of each circuit-closer is adapted to engage a contact a, connected with ground, and the contacts 12 of the circuit-closers b b b are shown connected to conductor 11, while the contacts 12 of circuit-closers Z1 b b are shown connected to conductor 9. The contacts 13 of circuit-closers band b are shown connected with conductor 3 and adapted to be engaged by contacts 8. The contacts 13 of circuitclosers b and Nate shown connected with con ductor 4, and the contacts 13 of circuit-closers b and b are shown connected with conductor 5. The arrangement is such thatit'a signaling instrument associated with the positively-polarized relay 2 is to be operated the circuitcloser at central corresponding to that instrument will be operated-say the circuit-closer bwhereupon the circuit for conductor 1 will be from ground at central through 12, 11, battery l0, conductor 9, contacts 8 and 7, to conductor 1, and thence to ground 1*, whereupon all the positively-polarized relays will be operated to close the circuits of all the signaling instruments connected therewith, and the circuit of selector-conductor 3 will be closed from ground at central through a, 12, 11, battery 10, conductor 9, contacts 8 and 13, to conductor 3, and thence through the circuit of signaling instrument 6 at station E to ground. If any signaling instrument associated with any other positively-polarized relay had been desired, the circuit-closer b or 19 would have been operated, producing corresponding circuits, excepting that the circuit of conductor 4 or 5 would have been closed to operate the signaling instrument connected with that conductor. If a station, as B B, or B is desired at which a negatively-polarized magnet is lo cated, the corresponding circuit-closer b b b at central will be operated. If it is desired to signal to the station B the circuit-closer U will be operated, whereupon the circuit will be established to send a negative current over conductor 1 as follows: from ground at central through Ct at 17 thence over 12, 9, 10, 11, S, 7, and 1 to ground 1, thereupon closing the circuits of all the signaling instruments associated with the negatively-polarized relays,

while at the same time circuit for conductor 3 would be closed at central at ground through a, 12,9,10, 11, 8, 13, and 3 to ground at station B thereby operating the signaling instru ment thereat, but not operating the signaling instrument at station B, because the positively-polarized relay thereat did not opcrate. Likewise if a signaling instrument at any other station of the series having negatively-polarized relays is desired the corre sponding circuit'closer b or b will be operated with the like result, excepting that the circuit of selector-conductor 4: or 5 will be closed.

Thus it will be seen that a pair of signaling instruments can be connected with each selector-conductor, and such signaling instruments will be brought into circuit only when a positive or a negative current passes over conductor 1. I do not, however, confine myself to the use of the devices shown for transmitting the various currents over conductors 1, 3, 4c, and 5, and it will also be understood that any convenient numberof positively and negatively polarized relays may be connected with conductor 1, in which event there will be a selector-conductor connected with two IPO signaling instruments associated with a pair of such polarized relays. I

To increase the number of signaling instruments that may be operated without proportionately increasing the number of conductors necessary to operate them, or, in other words, to increase the number of signaling instruments without increasing the number of selector-conductors, I provide one or more conductors 1 1 in addition to the conductor 1, and to each of said conductors 1 1 are connected a plurality of relays arranged similarly to the relays 2 2, half of which relays on each conductor are positively and half negatively polarized, and the relays of conductor 1 are apportioned to stations 0 O O O C 0 and the relays of conductor 1 are apportioned to stations D D D D D D, and the signaling instrument in each of such stations is associated with the corresponding relay and provided with a circuit to be controlled by the relay in manner similar to that described with respect to the series of stations B B B B B 13 Likewise the signaling instruments of stations 0 C and D D are connected with conductor 3, the signaling instruments of statibns C O and -D D are connected with conductor 4, and the signaling instruments of stations C O and D D are connected with conductor 5. At the central office circuitcontrolling devices 0 c c c c c are connect ed with conductor 1 and circuit-controlling devices at d d? d d d are connected with conductor 1, all arranged similarly to that described with respect to circuit-controllers b b b b b 19 Thus it will be seen that two signaling instruments of each conductor 1 1 1 are connected with each selector-conductor 3 4 5 in the illustration shown there, thus being six signaling instruments connected with each selector-conductor. It will be understood that if a positive or a negative current is thrown on either conductor 1, 1", or 1 the positively or negatively polarized relays of such conductor only will be operated and that then, according to the circuit of which selector-conductor is closed, the instru ment desired will be operated.

I do not limit my invention to the details of construction shown and described, as they may be varied without departing from the spirit thereof."

Having now described myinvention, what I claim is- 1. In a signaling or calling system, a conductor to which a plurality of polarized relays are connected, combined with a plurality of selector-conductors one for each pair of polarized relays, and a pair of signaling instruments respectively connected with a conductor of said selector-conductors, the circuits of said signaling instruments being arranged to be controlled by said relays.

2. In a signaling or calling system, a conductor to which a plurality of polarized re lays are connected, combined with a plurality of selector-conductors, a pair of signaling instruments connected with each of said selector conductors, one signalinginstrument of a pair beingassociatedwith a relay of one; polarity and the other signaling instrument of said pair being associated Witha relay of opposite polarity, and means to close the circuit of each signaling instrument upon the passage of an appropriate current.

3. In a signaling or calling system, a central office from which a conductor leads, a plurality of polarized relays connected with said conductor, a plurality ofselector-conductors alsoleading from central, apair of signaling instruments connected with each of said selector-conductors, one signaling instrument of a pair being associated with a relay of one polarity and the other signaling instrument of said pair being associatedwith a relay of opposite polarity, and circuit-controlling de vices at central to operate all the positive or negative relays, and also arranged to close the circuit of either selector-conductor to 0p erate the desired signaling instrument.

4. In a signaling or calling system, a central office from which a conductor leads,a plurality of polarized relays-connected with said conductor, a plurality of selector-conductors also leading from central, a pair of signaling instruments connected with each of said selector-conductors and each pair of signaling instruments being associated with a positive and a negative relay, and circuit-controlling devices at central apportioned in pairs to a difierent conductor of said selector-conductors and all arranged in connection with the conductor having the relays, whereby when one circuit-closer is operated all of the posi-.

and corresponding in number to half the nu mber of said relays, a signaling instrument associated With each of said relays and connect ed in pairs with one conductor of said selectorconductors,and a normally open branch circuit for each signalinginstrument, adapted to be closed by the corresponding relay.

6. In a signaling or calling system, a plurality of conductors to each of which a plurality of polarized relays are connected, combined with a series of selector-conductors corresponding to half the number of relays on one of the first-mentioned conductors, and pairs of signaling instrumentsassociated with pairszof relays.

7. In a signaling or calling system, a plurality of conductors to each of which a pluwith pairs of relays on another conductor be rality of polarized relays are connected, coming similarly connected with the said selectorbined with a series of selector conductors, conductors.

pairs ofsignalinginstruments associated with CHAS. B. SMITH. 5 pairs of relays of one conductor, each pair Witnesses:

being connected withadiiferent selector-con- T. F. BOURNE,

ductor, the signaling instruments associated F. E. TURNER. 

